


Rock Your World

by KirstenGoodkin



Category: Riverdale (TV 2017)
Genre: F/M, McMantle
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-01-03
Updated: 2018-03-08
Packaged: 2019-02-27 23:18:20
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 5,224
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13258686
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/KirstenGoodkin/pseuds/KirstenGoodkin
Summary: "I thought you enjoyed power, Josephine?"We find ourselves in a staring contest, and thinking quickly, I brush my foot against his leg a few times, and I see him tense up. He looks up, as if to say 'what the hell was that', and I snatch the milkshake."Now that is the kind of power that I like to have and abuse, Reginald."#Josie and Reggie don't know what's going on between them, but they know they want it to continue... Even if they need their friends to help them cover it up with their parents.





	1. It's Nothing

**Author's Note:**

> Hi there! You may know me from Wattpad (@Kirsten613) or Tumblr (@cameron-goodkins-wife)! this fic is also posted on wattpad if it seems familiar. I really connected with the ship McMantle and think it deserves more attention, so this is my fic about the pairing! Enjoy!

Josie's POV

"So, you're actually pressing charges? Thank God. I didn't want to upset you, but the thought of you letting that bastard roam free made me want to punch a wall until I broke my hand," I tell Cheryl. We were at Vixens practice, and she just informed me of her decision to press charges on Nick St. Clair for attempted rape. 

"I whole heartedly agree, Josie," Veronica pipes. "As soon as he's out of the hospital, maybe we can actually nail him for being the piece of trash he is."

"That's hopefully the outcome," Cheryl says, them shifting her attention to me. "But enough about that scumbag. Josie, I never got to ask you about you and Reggie at Nick's party the other night," she smirks. My eyes dart to my lap, trying to avoid this discussion.

"Oh, but Cheryl, you completely missed them flirting when we were doing our community service. You could have cut the sexual tension with a knife," Veronica smugly says. 

"Wait," Betty chimes in. "You and Reggie are a thing?"

"No," I'm quick to say. "We were just high and having fun. It was a one time thing." 

"But, you're blushing, so that either means it wasn't a one time thing or he's just a really good kisser," Veronica speculates.

'Both', I think.

"But what does your mom think? She knows he deals jingle-jangle, or was dealing it, doesn't she disapprove?" Betty asks curiously, with her reporter hat on, trying to get to the truth.

"She doesn't really know... And I don't plan on her finding out."

"Well, I say give it a go, if you think it would be fun. What Momma McCoy doesn't know, won't hurt her, right?" Cheryl shrugs before standing up. "Ok, Vixens, in positions for the routine we learned yesterday!"

#

"Hey Beyoncé!" I hear behind me. Turning around, I see a just showered Reggie Mantle running towards me, water dripping from his hair. His shirt clings to his body as he quickly runs to catch up with me, and I try not to stare for too long. I fail. 

"Enjoying the view?"

"In your dreams, Mantle." There's a pause. "So, what do you want?"

"What, I can't come talk to Riverdale's resident pop star? Do I need to go through your bodyguards first?" 

"Don't have any, unless you'd like to sign up for the job," I smirk. He smiles, and it takes every part of my not to go full googly-eyes on him.

"It would be my honor to serve you." At this, I finally let the corners of my mouth tilt into a genuine smile before forcing them back down.

"Back to the original question. What do you want?" I start to walk off campus, towards my house, and he follows.

"I just wanted to know what you think, this," he says, voice getting lower, gesturing between us, "is."

"I don't think that we should consider it a 'this', Reggie. We made out when we were high, we flirted while picking up garbage... That's not much."

"Really? I think you forgot, after that intervention at the Cooper's, at Pop's..." He whispers, stepping closer to me, so that we're just about touching. "You wouldn't consider this anything?"

"I... I might. But I don't think it would be worth it, Reg."

"You really don't wanna try it? You don't think it would have a positive outcome? It's because of your mom, isn't it—"

"It's not just my mom, Reggie. What kind of connection do we have besides a physical one? We would turn into friends with benefits." He looks upset, and I feel like shit, but we both know I'm not lying. "Just, give it a rest, okay?" I give him a soft pat on the arm and turn to start the walk to my house. I hear him sigh, then walk away too, in the opposite direction. 

My thoughts drift to his offer while I walk. 

Does he think we have an emotional connection? Do we have an emotional connection?

I mean, it isn't the worst idea, is it? We spent a long time talking at Pop's last week, laughing, fighting over his milkshake... 

A thought from last week comes back to me. Butterscotch.

As soon as this comes to mind, I whip out my phone and hit the call button on his contact.

"Damn, miss me already?"

"You wish, Mantle. I was just calling to ask if you, uh..." 

Why are you so nervous? I think to myself. You're Josie McCoy, you always go after what you want with confidence. And then I remember: oh yeah, Dumbass, you've never called a guy up and asked him out.

"You okay there, McCoy?" 

With a deep breath, I finish.

"Never better. You wanna go to Pop's, like last week? Milkshakes on me this time." I can hear his smirk through the phone.

"I'll agree to that on one condition—one milkshake. As greedy as you are, sharing a straw with you is the closest thing I think I'll get to kissing you for awhile." Thank God I'm not doing this in person. I'm 99.9% sure that my face is as red as Cheryl's hair.

"Deal. See you soon?"

"See you soon, Josie."

#


	2. After The Cooper's

Flashback to After the Intervention at the Cooper's

#

Reggie: pops in 10?

"Who's that, Sweetheart?" I quickly turn my phone off and place it face down the table as my mom comes up behind me and places my plate in front of me. After stuttering for a brief moment, I come up with a lie.

"It was just Val, asking me about a song lyric for a new thing she's writing for the Pussycats." 

"Oh, that's nice. The Pussycats are gaining popularity, I see," she says, piling food onto her own plate. While she's distracted, I reply to Reggie.

Me: I thought u were on house arrest??? U know, cuz ur mom just found out ur a drug dealer and stuff

Reggie: I am, but gonna sneak out, can u meet me?? 

"Sweetheart, can I ask you something?" Again, I place my phone down, backside up.

"Yeah, sure. What's up?" 

"You aren't friends with that Mantle boy, are you?"

Friends, no. Acquaintances with a lot of sexual tension? That sounds more like it.

"Um, no. Why?"

"I'm just worried about you, I don't want you getting involved with something you shouldn't get involved with. I mean, you've already tried some of that dreadful jangle-jiggle or whatever it's called. Promise me that you won't do anything with that boy, understand?"

"Mom, I'll be fine." 

Without actually answering her, I turn back to my phone, but she interrupts any activity I almost take part in by talking again.

"Josie? I need to make sure-"

"I know, Mom." I snap, turning in my chair to face my mother. "I won't go near Reggie Mantle. I promise. Happy?" With a huff, she sits down next to me with her own food. 

"I just don't want you getting into trouble, and associating yourself with a young boy dealing street drugs is not going to make that happen." She takes my hand, rubbing the back of it with her thumb. "Everything I do is for your well being, Baby."

I try to give her a reassuring look. 

"I know. And I appreciate it."

What I said was true: I appreciate her trying to make sure I don't go down the wrong back.

But if the wrong path is the charming, loyal football player who's a hell of a kisser? Then I don't completely know if I want to go down the right path.

Picking up my phone, I find the text thread with Reggie.

Me: I'll be there.

"Mom? Val wants to meet up to go over the song she's writing, is that okay?"  She looks reluctant to let me go, but thankfully, she gives in anyway. 

"I suppose. If it works out, I can't wait to hear it. Just be home in a couple hours, okay?" 

Nodding, I grab my purse off of the couch and in a flash I'm out the door, on my way to Pop's.

#

Approaching Pop's, I see Reggie through one of the windows, drinking a milkshake. He turns toward the window, and his eyes lock with mine, and I can see him smirk. I hurry myself inside and quickly plop in the booth across from him. Noticing that the milkshake he's drinking is butterscotch flavored, my favorite, I slide it over to myself and take a drink. 

"You realize that's practically kissing, right?" He says, pulling it away from me and taking another swig. 

"You realize that you should be at home, right?" Reggie rolls his eyes. "Really, Reg, why am I here?"

"I just wanted to see you, I mean, we're both kind of in deep shit with our parents—"

"Hey, I'm not dealing, I tried it once."

"Understood, but your mom was still upset, right? And what about if your dad finds out?"

I'm quiet. Dad is always a sour subject.

"Exactly. Anyway, I just thought it would be nice to see you." 

I eye him suspiciously, while he avoids my gaze, playing with the straw in his milkshake. 

"This better not be a date, Mantle."

"Hey, you said it, not me." Annoyed with him and his stupid charm, I reach out and take the milkshake again, drinking as much as I can.

"This isn't anything, understood?" 

"Whatever you want, Babe." I freeze, slightly stunned by his response, and while I'm not paying attention he steals the milkshake back. "Hey, you're the mayor's kid, you can easily get your own." 

"That would be an abuse of power, Reginald."

"I thought you enjoyed power, Josephine?" 

We find ourselves in a staring contest, and thinking quickly, I brush my foot against his leg a few times, and I see him tense up. He looks up, as if to say 'what the hell was that', and I snatch the milkshake. 

"Now that is the kind of power that I like to have and abuse, Reginald." 

His hands ball into fists and he collapses back into the booth. I smile at him, with the straw in between my teeth, and his eyes sparkle as he gives a genuine grin back. 

I think to myself for a moment that I really like making him smile like that. But I end the thought as soon as it starts.

"Fine," he says, and I am brought back to reality. "We can share, as long as you don't get greedy." 

We spend the next hour fighting over the milkshake, and I forget everything that my mom said about not being around Reggie. Not being around him may hurt more than anything that could happen while being associated with him, I decide, and even after we part from Pop's the thought stays with me that we share the same favorite milkshake flavor. 

#

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for the kudos that you've left, I hope you are enjoying where the story is going!!! It will be continued ;)


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Right after chapter one. What happens at Pop's now??

Reggie

I'm a cocky person. I'm not afraid to admit it. 

I'm cocky around the team, because I like looking confident to them. I'm cocky around Josie because I want her to think that I'm not as nervous and anxious I am when she's around.

My leg bounces under the table that I'm sitting at, waiting for Josie. Her phone call got my hopes up, I can't lie, but I can't deny the doubt that's also haunting the back of my mind: What if she changes her mind?

She could easily be playing me, which she already knows she has the power to do, so I can't prevent my worries. But I feel like as soon as she walks in, I'm whipped.

And as if on cue, the bell above the entrance to Pop's dings, and in walks the rockstar of Riverdale herself, Josie McCoy. When she sees the milkshake I already ordered for us, she gives me a playful smile, one I haven't seen on her before.

I like it. A lot. 

"I thought I said the milkshake would be on me, this time?" She sits herself down in the booth across from me, slides the milkshake in front of her and takes three big drinks of it, eyelids fluttering with satisfaction.

"Yeah, but the guy normally pays on dates."

"Dates?" 

"Yes. This is a date, whether you can admit it to yourself or not. The guy pays on dates, a piece of chivalry I will not let die." 

Mouth still on the straw, she smirks, glancing up at me.

"I didn't take you as a chivalrous guy, Mantle." 

"And I didn't take you as the blushing type, yet your cheeks turn awfully pink when I say something nice." Panic floods her face, and I can't lie, making her squirm a little is pretty fun. I will definitely be doing it more often. 

"Okay, then if this is a date, what are your intentions?" 

Before I answer, I drink the milkshake a little and let some tension build. It's another thing that makes her shift in her seat. I lean forward right before I answer, my voice low and quiet.

"I thought I made that clear over the phone." 

My confidence floods through me as I watch her freeze, taking a moment to figure out how to answer. My eyes don't leave hers, and hers don't leave mine, and I'm finding that whatever this is, it's something. Josie opens her mouth and is about to choke something out when a feminine voice breaks us from our trance— 

"Well well well, from trash throwing to milkshake sharing? Reggie, you really know how to whoo a girl." Veronica smiles at the sight of the two of us, Betty right behind her, looking slightly uncomfortable, probably assuming that Veronica interrupted us. 

"Well, Veronica, I try. Do you need something?"

"Oh, he's getting a little snappy, I see. I don't need anything, I just wanted to check in... Have fun, you two." She sends Josie a wink before strutting off, and Josie breaks eye contact with her friend, embarrassed. Betty awkwardly hovers for a moment before rubbing the back of she neck and quickly walking away to where Veronica sat down at the counter. 

"Talking about me to your friends, wow. I didn't know you were that obsessed with me." To end some of the awkward tension, I rely on my arrogance, and hopefully Josie can jump back into it too, and we can get our rhythm back. 

I really need to talk to Veronica about her timing. I mean, this is two times now. Two times too many. 

"Maybe I have brought you up, but I'm pretty sure your name has only come up in complaints, not praise." She shrugs, and slips the milkshake out of my hands, back into her possession. 

"That's a shame. I'm afraid I've brought you up in too many praises to my friends," I say, without a care in the world.

I don't know whether or not to be happy or nervous at Josie's lack of snark around me. Like, I love that I make her this nervous but I also love her confidence about everything and anything. So I'm at a crossroads, here. 

"I didn't know I was a topic of conversation with your friends," she responds after gathering herself, swirling the milkshake with her straw.

"Well, I mean, it's mostly with Arch, since he's got Veronica, and I bring it up with Moose because he doesn't like sulking around in his bed. And the team may have asked me about it. And I may have kinda mentioned it to Veronica when we did community service. And my parents know because I brought up your singing to them and they want you to come sing at this event we're having—"

"Wait, they want me to do a gig?!" She asks, voice raising with excitement. People turn and look at us, including Betty and Veronica, before turning around and brushing it off. 

"Yeah, it's this thing at my dad's dealership, the pay is really good, you don't have to do that many songs—"

"Thank you, thank you, thank you!" She bounces out of the booth and stands over me, before she leans down and wraps her arms around my neck, pressing her lips against my cheek. I'm glad she can't see me, because now it's my turn to blush.

"Yeah, of— of course." She pulls away and sits back down, beaming, and before we get to say anything else her phone rings. When she looks at the screen, her eyes widen. 

"Hang on, be quiet for a sec. Mom? Hi. Yeah, I'm just leaving Pop's, I was grabbing a milkshake. I'll be home soon. No, don't send Sheriff Keller to escort me, I'm coming. Okay. Bye." She brings the phone away from her ear and presses her finger against the screen. "I gotta go. Walk me home?" 

I nod, and we get our coats and leave Pop's, Veronica watching us all the way out of the door. 

"So... Your mom doesn't want you hanging around me, does she?" 

"What makes you think that?"

"Well, I was involved in Jingle Jangle, and you failed to mention that you were with me to your mom, so..."

"No, she would rather not have me see you, but what she doesn't know, won't hurt her, right?" 

"You're sure?" She stops walking, and turns to face me. "You're sure you still want to do this? That you're okay with risking it with your mom? That your not just acting interested in me because I got you a gig—" 

I get cut off all of the sudden, and it takes me a moment to realize what is going on.

She's kissing me. 

I'm taken back to that night at the party when we were all high and dumb and her and I were kissing and I wind my arms around her waist. It feels like we have barely been kissing for a significant amount of time before she pulls away. 

"Yes, I'm sure. About everything, about this... I'm sure," she exhales, breathing heavy. 

"Okay then," I whisper, realizing that I'm still holding her tightly against me, and I let her go. We walk another two blocks before we both decide to stop, so know one who could report to her mom sees us together. I hesitantly let her go, not wanting our time together to end so fast, and not wanting anything happening to her involving The Black Hood. You never know.

A few minutes after she leaves and I start walking home, my phone starts buzzing and I see that Archie is calling me. 

"Hello?"

"It's Veronica. Archie came to Pop's so I'm borrowing his phone, because I don't have your number. You guys left so I couldn't eavesdrop! I need an update and details, now."

"You can have details, but there's something I need from you first. Let's talk about you interrupting me and Josie whenever we are together. You gotta work on your timing..." 

#

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This will be continued, and thank you all again for the kudos and comments!!! I love hearing what you think <3


	4. New Year's Day

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yes this was written an hour before 12:00 AM on Jan 1st so it's a little late but on wattpad it was published on new years day so it fit then but it's still a really cute chapter with sneaky McMantle so enjoy!!!

Third Person POV

"So, Casanova, are you and Josie kissing at midnight?" Veronica inquired to her athletic friend on December 31st. Poor Reggie started squirming almost instantly, shoving his hands in his pockets and his shoulders bouncing up and down.

"I don't know... I don't even know if I'm gonna see her tonight. Her mom might not let her go out, I mean New Years is a chaotic night, they might not want her to go to a party and get drunk and—"

"Are these seriously the lame excuses you've been using to convince yourself to not see her tonight?" Veronica interjects. The football player scowls and glares in her direction, leaning on the counter at Pop's.

"They are valid reasons and if you knew her well enough, you might understand it better," Reggie retorts. Veronica looks momentarily hurt, but in the blink of an eye it's gone, and her hands are on her hips.

"May I remind you she's one of my closest friends, and last time I checked you're just her latest boy toy." He straightens at this comment, bringing his weight from the counter to his feet, towering over the young Latina. 

"You know what, I don't know why I even bother." He gives himself one last boost up and then takes long strides out of the restaurant, and he hears the click of Veronica's heels close behind him. 

"Reggie—" But before she can continue, a much more welcome voice graces Reggie's ears.

"Reggie!" He hears Josie's voice from the parking lot. His eyes spot her small frame and glowing dark skin, heart rate increasing, and they walk briskly toward each other before he pulls her into a tight embrace, making her squeal slightly.

"Hey Rock Star," he whispers in her ear when he feels her slender arms wind around him. When they separate, their faces move closer, eyes focused on each other's lips—

But they quickly snap apart, remembering where they are, already seeing suspicious eyes locked in on them. 

"Okay then, um, I'll talk to you later then, Reg?" Veronica pipes up, and excuses herself. Josie shifts closer to Reggie.

"What was that about?" She asks, attempting to be subtle. It fails, and Reggie notices the way the tone of her voice rises. 

"Just arguing, Jos, nothing to worry about." Her gleaming brown eyes look up and him, and he brings his hand up to her back, slightly tracing his fingers along the curve of it. "I promise."

"Okay." She sighs. Before he knows it, she's leaning into him, completely resting her body against his and tucking her head in his neck. His arm lifts to encircle her back and steer her back into the diner.

"Come on Beautiful, lets get you a milkshake." 

Reggie doesn't miss the smile that encompasses her face when he calls her beautiful. He makes a mental note to do it more. 

#

It's pitch black outside, and while Reggie is trying to have fun with the guys at Archie's, he can't shake the fact that he should be somewhere else. 

Reggie: hey pretty lady, how's your New Years bash going? Shame I wasn't invited :( my invite must have gotten lost in the mail ;P

Not the finest composition of words he's put together, but it's something. He jolts when her response comes so quick. 

Josie: ugh, some New Years bash this is. It's some stuffy party w/ my mom and her friends. I'm d y i n g. This close to grabbing the fire poker and stabbing myself in the eyes so I can go the hospital and get out of this place 

Reggie: that's rough. You think you could conveniently go to the bathroom in like, 10 minutes???

Reggie looked at the clock, seeing that it was 11:48 PM. Josie's response comes in the next minute.

Josie: well, I *have* drank a lot of water tonight... 

Josie: 10 minutes it is.

Reggie smiles wide, making a mad dash to the front door and throwing on his jacket. 

"Mantle, where are ya goin'?" Moose yells after him. 

"To celebrate the new year," he replies, like it's the most obvious thing in the world. The guys' responses are cut off by Archie's front door slamming shut. 

#

When Reggie gets to the hotel, he sees a girl in a dress with a shawl clasped tightly around her shoulders. He instantly identifies the girl as Josie. 

Running over, his footsteps catch her attention, and she is flooded with relief at the sight of him. 

"Reggie, thank God," she says, sounding almost out of breath, throwing her arms around his neck. He wraps his arms tightly around her waist, just about lifting her off of the ground. When they separate, his eyes roam her figure, and he takes special note of what she's wearing. It's a teal dress that has spaghetti straps and is tight fitting around her torso, but after hitting her waist the dress flares with the help of a very not-Josie-like amount of tool. Her chocolate brown ringlets of hair have been swirled into a bun, some shorter strands out front, framing her face. "I know, I look ridiculous." She huffs, catching his attention and bringing his eyes back to her face.

"Bull. You look stunning," he compliments, pulling her close again. The rouge on her cheeks and the pale street lights aren't enough to hide her blush.

"So, Mantle, What inspired the late night visit?" Josie asks, playing with the collar of Reggie's jacket. He slips one hand from her waist and into his pocket to check the time, proud that it says 11:59 PM. 

"I wanted to do this," he exhales, right before he presses his hands against her back and brings his head down to capture her lips in a kiss. Her hands drift from his jacket to the back of his neck, pulling him impossibly closer to her, pressing farther, almost impatient. "Easy, Tiger," Reggie manages to get out in between kisses.

"I don't have much time," she says, "and I didn't get to this today." 

Reggie smiles against her lips, and they continue, like the world is theirs for the night, like there aren't overbearing parents and gangs and chaos. 

It's midnight, and now all of the fireworks are going off, shocking both of them. 

"Happy New Year, Reggie Mantle," Josie whispers against his lips. Before he gets the chance to say anything back, she's gone, running back up the stairs to the hotel like she's Cinderella and her dress is about to turn into torn rags. 

"Happy New Year, Josie McCoy," Reggie whispers to himself, turning on his heel to walk back to Archie's, sporting a blinding smile the whole rest of the night.


	6. The Serpents

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The first fight. We knew that Reggie's disdain for the Southsiders would earn some backlash... He just wasn't expecting it from her.

Third Person POV

"Reggie!" Josie screeches down the rickety hallway, making her fellow classmates jump at the sound of her angry voice. But the only classmate she is looking for was her sort-of boyfriend, Reggie Mantle. When everybody's heads turn their attention to the far left side of the hallway, she knows where to find him.

Strutting down the stairs, the students part like the Red Sea to let her small frame through, and when Reggie notices her, pure panic flashes in his eyes. She approaches him, standing tall, and he cowers in fear. 

Her mouth opens, like she's about to say something, but shuts a second after. And without hesitation, her hand is flying across his face, almost instantly leaving a palm mark. 

"Ow! What the hell, Josie?!" Reggie yells. She looks livid.

"What are you thinking, trying to get the Serpents kicked out of school? Painting the floor? Picking fights? What is wrong with you?" 

"This is our turf—"

"It's theirs too!"

"They can't just come in here and—"

"What did they ever do to you?" 

Everyone's eyes are on them. Josie can see Betty's light pink sweater and Archie's tall frame out of the corner of her eye, the clicking of Veronica's heels joining them and Kevin's voice whispering to ask what's going on. 

"Oh, I don't know, kicked our asses in the middle of the street?"

"You were fighting too. Why did you guys do that?" Reggie rolls his eyes and tries to get an explanation out.

"Because—" 

"Why?" Josie fires. She knows that what's about to come out of his mouth will be a lie.

"Because—" 

"Why?"

"Because—"

"Why?"

"Because we thought they did something that they didn't do!" Reggie screams. The hall falls silent, Josie reels back a step, and everybody is anticipating her next move. She huffs, and everyone holds their breath.

"Find me when you stop being a territorial asshole." 

She gracefully spins around and walks out of the hallway in the same direction she came, brushing past the group of her friends, leaving Reggie speechless. The audience watches as he snorts and walks down the hallway in the opposite direction. 

Cheryl, who is on the end of the hall that Reggie is coming towards, turns to follow him as he passes. Archie glances at his friends before booking it down the hall after his friend, and Veronica hopes that he's going to tell Reggie what a jerk he's being. Veronica gestures to Betty, and they turn to go find Josie. They find success in the music room, where the singer is sitting on a stool, taking deep, shaky breaths.

"Screw him," she gets out weakly. "Why did I think he'd stop being so temperamental and possessive? I can't change it. But I can't handle it if he's gonna keep doing that," she says.

"Josie, Reggie is a... Special breed of man. He's a lot of things jumbled into one tall, muscular body and pretty face. Some of those things are not good, but some of them are great, and those parts of him recognize what a great person you are. So you both need to figure out how far you want this to go." 

There are so many things Josie wants to say, about how she really likes him but doesn't know how to support him, how really all she wants to do is talk to him and work this out, but she ends up standing up, faking a smile, and straightening her clothes. 

"It's whatever. It will work itself out eventually, right?" 

The blonde and brunette look like they are about to interject, but the girl with chocolate brown skin pushes around them and leaves the room, ending the conversation without explicitly stating so. Betty and Veronica just stare out the door, in Josie's direction, wondering how long she's going to fake it until everything falls apart.

#

"I mean, we tried to warn them, but they wouldn't listen. I guess it's their own fault," Cheryl hums to her fellow Vixens right as the trio of Josie, Veronica and Betty enter the gym. Josie can't help but defend herself.

"Oh, get over it Cheryl. Don't act like we haven't seen you drooling over that Topaz girl since you first saw her," she spits, and Cheryl straightens, building higher walls. 

"Desperation isn't a good look on you, Josie." At Josie's glare, the red head claps her hands to get the Vixens' attention. "Okay, sluts, in formation!"

#

"Dude, Josie's pissed," Archie states to his teammate, Reggie. 

"Yeah, no shit," he spits back. "I just— I don't trust them. Maybe I went about it the wrong way, which I probably did, since Josie's pissed and—" He stops himself before getting the courage to finish his sentence. "—And probably never wants to see me again." His ginger haired friend huffs.

"You just gotta learn to chill, man. What you've been doing is a little extreme," Archie tries.

"They just—" Reggie attempts, getting worked up, fingers curling in to make clenched fists. "I don't trust them," he spits.

"You don't have to, Reg. You don't have to talk to them or associate yourself with them whatsoever. But framing them for shit they aren't doing isn't going to help anything."

Reggie sighs, knowing that Archie is completely right. He feels like punching himself.

"Fuck, bro, you're right." He hoists himself up and starts to leave the room. "I'm gonna go find Josie. Hopefully we can... Talk." With a smile and a nod from his friend, Reggie peels down the hall, and begins his search for the girl that he likes more than he ever thought he would.

#

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is back when the Serpents came to Riverdale high, not from last night's ep!! So excited for Cheroni oml  
> I also think imma make Sweet pea and Reggie friends!!!


End file.
